1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hair conditioning compositions. More particularly, this invention relates to hair conditioning compositions containing certain organosilicon quaternary ammonium halides that impart long-lasting or "permanent" conditioning effects to hair.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hair is generally degraded to varying extents by the action of such treatments as bleaching, permanent waving and dyeing and also by the action of atmospheric agents. As a result, the hair is difficult to comb out and to style and does not readily retain an appealing style, mainly due to the fact that the hair is lacking in strength and springiness.
To overcome these difficulties, compositions, which are marketed for home and beauty shop use, are characterized as rinses and conditioners which are designed to impart softness or smoothness of feel, luster, body, manageability, combability, elasticity and an overall appealing appearance to the hair.
Conditioning of hair is, in general, achieved by effecting a deposit on the hair of a film of a character such as serves to impart to the hair one or more of the above-stated properties. Hair conditioning compositions are marketed in various forms, such as aqueous or aqueous-alcoholic solutions, lotions, dispersions and creams.
Among the hair conditioning products which have heretofore been known and some of which have been used commercially to a substantial extent are those of the type which contain cationic agents, generally of the quaternary ammonium type. Cationic agents are known generally to be substantive to the hair and therefore, a film or deposit is formed on the hair shafts by adsorption due to ionic attraction between the cationic agent and the keratinous material of the hair. The character and the amount of such film as is formed and deposited on the hair influence the properties and characteristics of the hair.
The foregoing hair conditioning compositions are reasonably effective in imparting to the hair at least some of the properties and characteristics of the nature described above. However, their conditioning effect on hair is short, generally lasting until the hair is washed/shampooed. In addition, the desired conditioning properties and characteristics imparted to the hair by these conditioners are greatly reduced by unfavorable atmospheric conditions such as the presence of particulate matter and high relative humidity in the air. It is believed that the ionic attraction between the cationic agent and hair keratin is weakened by these conditions resulting in decreased substantivity of film on the hair. As a result, to maintain the hair in the desired well-conditioned form, frequent application of hair conditioners are required.
The present invention is based on the discovery that certain organosilicon quaternary ammonium salts bond to the hair with a force stronger than ionic bonds thereby imparting permanent or long-lasting conditioning to hair.
Certain silicon containing quaternary ammonium halides are known for their antimicrobial and antifungal activity. As such, these compounds have been used on fabrics and other surfaces to prevent and/or inhibit the growth of micro-organisms (see for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,892).